It was bought for a princely sum of £1 but now a historic building is welcoming royal visitors as Rosie Sanderson reports...

Six years after she first gazed at Flounders Folly while rambling through the Shropshire countryside Sula Rayska has finally achieved her dream.

The ancient tower which became a subject of fascination for her was once owned by screen goddess Julie Christie but had been left to crumble.

Now restored, the folly, which towers over Callow Hill near Craven Arms, will welcome the Princess Royal later this month.

"It's a beautiful building with so much character but sadly it had no one to care for it. I couldn't bear to see it just fall apart," said Ms Rayska who lives in Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, half an hour's drive from the ancient tower, with her husband George Baugh.

Julie Christie owned the folly from 1985 until 1995 but by the summer of 1999 the grad two listed landmark was an overgrown refuge for birds and bats.

After months of detective work Ms Rayska, aged 56, tracked down the person who bought the 80ft tower from Ms Christie and the anonymous purchaser offered it to her for just £1.

"The high liability costs meant that no one wanted to take responsibility for it. It was such a waste leaving it in disrepair as the views are fantastic from the top," said Ms Rayska, a restoration project consultant who formed The Flounders Folly Trust in 2000.

The trust was given a grant of £15,000 by the Local Heritage Initiative, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and administered by the Countryside Agency, with additional support from the Nationwide Building Society.

The Heritage Lottery fund gave £281,000 and many individuals and charitable trusts also contributed to save the ancient tower, including the brewery Wood's.

When the beer company learned of the folly's deterioration, it brewed Sheer Folly ale and gave four pence to the trust from every pint sold.

Residents then gave their time, clearing the site from overgrown scrub, planting hedges and carrying out historical research.

"We began the restoration in 2004 and the community has really pulled together to achieve our dream.

"Everyone has donated so much time and energy we can't wait for the public to see the transformation," said Ms Rayska who has two children in their twenties.

The folly, which offers views across the Malverns, the Black Mountains, Skirrid, Cader Idris, the Long Mynd and the Wrekin, was built by Benjamin Flounders, a Quaker from Yorkshire, in 1838 to celebrate his 70th birthday, according to local legend.

Flounders was born in Yarm, Yorkshire on June 17, 1768.

He inherited the Culmington estate in Shropshire from his uncle Gideon Bickerdike, who had intended leaving it to the Quaker Ackworth School near Pontefract, but changed his mind and left it to Flounders with £200,000 in 1807.

"We're thrilled that the folly is going to get the royal recognition it deserves," said Ms Rayska.

"It has taken years of hard work and determination to restore to its former splendour and, while we're all very proud of what we've achieved.

"At last everyone will be able to enjoy this beautiful folly and the spectacular panoramic views of the countryside it offers."